GIVEAWAY

When I logged on the other day (after an extended absence), I noticed that I have 91 followers! (Hello new friends!) I am really excited to announce that I will be doing a giveaway when I hit 100 followers. It's a bit of a grab bag of things that may be useful to dollhouse builders, miniaturists and crafters (some of which are straight from the RGT recent Open House sale!), plus a gift certificate to peacecrafted.com, which is the home-based handmade bath salt business that I and my better half run. I figure it's a good thing to relax after a long day in the workshop. ;) So, tell your friends, pass this on and stay tuned to learn how to enter this giveaway!!!

Inspiration, the new year, and yeah, I know I've been quiet!

Life, my job, and everything else has taken over and I haven't had much time to craft. So, yeah, I realize it's been rather quiet here at Linda's Minis. My last post focused on the General Store, but funny enough, that lovely dollhouse has actually been given to my sister and her girls. After Jay moved to Albany (permanently) and the rest of our stuff came with him, we just didn't have the room. So I knew something had to go. I had good intentions with it, but I still have to finish the Glencroft (I know, I know) so one project at a time for me.

Now I've been rather inspired over the holidays. We visited PA for Christmas (my parents) and New Year's (Jay's parents) and along the way, saw lots of beautiful houses. In both central and eastern PA, there are many beautiful stone houses, and in the Montgomery County region, there are some beautiful homes covered in stucco. This led me to finally deciding to finish the Glencroft chimney in plaster over brick, and to age the tudor finish a bit. (I still have to finish shingling, which I think is my least favorite dollhouse hobby venture).

While in eastern PA, we visited a thrift shop in Birdsboro, PA. (Here is the address: http://maps.google.com/maps/place?oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&q=birdsboro+pa+thrift+shop&fb=1&gl=us&hq=thrift+shop&hnear=0x89c679ea4653aa45:0x31e78b63b088be0d,Birdsboro,+PA&cid=9471547859574324149)

There is a lovely farmhouse-style dollhouse there for sale. It is 99 dollars, in decent shape, and comes with lots of furniture. It could use some minor rehab, but if you are looking for a good second-hand project, and live in the area, it was still there as of yesterday afternoon. I looked at it carefully but said no (surprisingly!) because of the lack of space and certain lack of time with the upcoming semester. Again, one project at a time for me!!!

Lastly, while in central PA, we went to Antique Depot in Duncansville, PA (address: http://duncansvilleantiquedepot.com/index.htm). They have tin dollhouses, very little furniture, but two lovely dollhouses that almost look like engineering or drafting projects. The crafters were definitely building them in the style of real houses and both that were there (as of Dec. 26th or so) were unfinished and were (I think) half-scale. I was very tempted to pick up the larger one for 150.00. Again, though. Little room at the moment and ONE project at a time!

If you live in either area, or know someone who does, and procure either dollhouse, do let me know! I hope these hints lead to a cherished new addition to a collection! :)

The general store is now in New York!

We have a new addition to the Albany apartment. I brought over the old General Store (you may remember from this entry ) from New Hampshire. This will be an antique store with a hip cafe on the top level. This is the plan:

1. Continue giving the shop a thorough cleaning inside and out. I got most of the dust out of it, but there are still areas that need some detailing.

2. Remove and replace the bannister going to the upstairs rooms.

3. Remove the wallpaper from the upstairs rooms. I tried one room as the wallpaper was already starting to come off, and it left a gross residue. Time to apply the Goo Gone!

4. Refinish the floors with art paper or planking

5. Refinishing the walls - paint? wallpaper? boards?

6. Convert the horse stalls into flea market stalls. 

7. Redo the signs on the outside...remove or cover the existing letters.

8. Add in windows and doors (possibly handmade).
9. Electrify or not to electrify??? (Or perhaps get those battery powered lamps that miniatures.com sells...?)

I can't wait to work on this piece. Currently, I am still shingling the Glencroft, but this is a slow process, and I figure moving the General Store/Antique shop over will at least let me work on some miniature stuff in the meantime. I really like the flat roof, which will provide more storage, as well.

For the hip cafe feel, I have been brainstorming a list (and have asked the help of facebook friends as well!). We've come up with quite a few ideas and I am exciting to make this as fun, funky, and realistic as possible, while preserving the uniqueness of the original piece.

Oscar stands in the antique store-to be (he'll be the owner, at least of the downstairs portion - isn't he dressed appropriately?):

Not really sure what the thing is that he has his hand on - perhaps the original owner had something hanging there? I'll probably remove it, especially since I snag my hand on it every time I reach into the shelves along the back wall (ouch!).

Daisy House kit and Tim Holtz Crackle Paint

So I built the book shelf with drawers kit from The Daisy House and it was a positive crafting experience! The directions were well-written, and everything I needed was included (sans glue and paint, of course!). I used Tacky Glue for building, without a jig, and everything went together quite nicely. For the finish, I painted the entire piece in light blue (with acrylics) and then covered it with Tim Holtz Distress Crackle in Picket Fence. After this dried, I wiped Distress Ink in Tea Dye on certain parts of the book shelf and wiped it off immediately for an aged patina. I really like how it looks. Here are some  pics:

Storage solution :)

So I have been doing a little redecorating today and found a fun way to display my miniature furniture until I finish the Glencroft and the antique shop.

This is one of those storage cube arrangements you can buy at Target. :) Makes a great temporary display area!

Columbary House and Earth 'n Tree goodies

In my last post, I wrote about an antique store in Cape Neddick, Maine called Columbary House. Well I finally found my camera battery charger (and it was in the most obvious place *rolls eyes*) so I can share with you what I found there.

For the miniatures (because isn't that why we're all here?), I found this adorable white metal screen and table. A little more "frilly" than my usual taste, but I fell in love with them. I have some ideas for future shabby chic projects that may incorporate both of these. Until then, I will display them somewhere in my home.

 

Here's everything I bought at the shop: the miniatures, Simon and Garfunkel music for piano and guitar (I play the latter and have this album), an antique key (I am obsessed with old keys!), and a wood plaque that says Välkommen! (Swedish for welcome). The latter was so cute and only a dollar. I thought it'd be nice to put in my foyer somewhere. I am not of Swedish descent, but it matches my PA Dutch (which makes up about half of my heritage) decor.

I drove from New Hampshire to New York today and stopped at Earth and Tree Miniatures on the way (I really love that place, and everyone I talk to there is always friendly and just wonderful!).

I picked up a few small items:

 

I haven't put together too many kits and so I think the bookcase will be a nice place to start. I'd like to do it in shabby chic with peeling paint (I might try Tim Holtz' Distress Crackle Paint on this one...).  I love American Miniaturist and will someday break down and subscribe already. :) A few things caught my eye in this issue (E and T has a lot of issues of all the popular magazines available at any given time). And last, I saw this miniature cat shelf in one of their displays and absolutely had to have it. I don't know about you, dear reader, but it gives off a 70s feel to me and will look awesome in the Glencroft living room when I am done with it! Now to decide what belongs in that little shelf. Hmmm....

I'll be having a little getaway in Vermont this weekend before my summer research really gets underway next week, so I may be sharing any goodies I find during the trip. Now that I have ALL the parts to my camera, I may try some photography, too. :) Have a great Memorial Day weekend, everyone!

Another antique spot in Maine with miniatures

Wow, I just realized I have 84 followers! How exciting!!!
I do want to sing the praises of a lovely antique shop on Route  1 in Cape Neddick, Maine called Columbary House that I visited this past Saturday. They have a lot of miniature furniture in one of their three buildings. I bought a CUTE white metal table and privacy screen. (Sorry about the lack of pictures as I cannot for the life of me find my camera battery/charger anywhere). They have several shelves of wooden furniture and resin figurines. If you are in the area, it may be worth checking out.

I am in New Hampshire at the moment and ready to drive back to New York tomorrow, and will probably be bringing the General Store with me. I hope to make some time this summer to clean it up and bash it into an antique store for a lot of the miscellaneous miniatures I have.

Edit: I have also been shingling the Glencroft! Pictures available when I finish (and when i find that darn battery and charger!)